Weather Extremes of the West
Table of Contents
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Introduction
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1
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Introduction to Climate
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2
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Introduction to Weather
|
7
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Climate and Weather in the West
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12
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How to Use This Book
|
15
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1. The Pacific Northwest's Coast, Western Valleys, and Mountains
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19
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The West Coast's Deadliest Twister: Washington and Oregon
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20
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It Rains All the Time: Seattle
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22
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The Blue Hole
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25
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The Columbus Day Storm
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27
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Thermal Low: Willamette Valley
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32
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The Pineapple Express and the Flood of '96
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34
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The Brookings Effect: Oregon
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37
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Coho Winds and Silver Thaw: Columbia River Gorge
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40
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2. The Cascades
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45
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Rain-on-Snow Events: Great Pacific-Northwest Floods
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47
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Ninety-Three Feet of Snow: Mount Baker
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51
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The Wellington Avalanche: Stevens Pass, Washington
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56
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Extraordinary Precipitation Gradient: North-Central Oregon
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58
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3. The Pacific Northwest's Inland Empire and High Deserts
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61
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Dust Devils: Eastern Washington
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63
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The Heppner Disaster: Oregon
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64
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Oregon and Washington Hot Spots
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67
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Oregon's Icebox: Seneca
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67
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The Inland Northwest's Worst Winter Storm: Spokane
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70
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4. California's Coast, Western Valleys, and Southern Mountains
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73
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The Fog Belt: San Francisco
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75
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El Nino Storms
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78
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Santa Ana, Diablo, and the Catalina Eddy: California Winds
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83
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Intense Precipitation: San Gabriel Mountains
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90
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5. The Sierra Nevada
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93
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Dangerous Snowstorms
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94
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The Washoe Zephyr: Nevada
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98
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6. Desert Southwest
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99
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The Nation's Hottest Spots: Death Valley and Yuma
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101
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Daily Temperature Extremes: Arizona and California
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107
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Extreme Evaporation: Mojave Desert
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109
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Southwest Monsoon
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113
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Hurricane Alley of the West
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116
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Horrible Haboobs: Arizona
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120
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Desert Snowstorms
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123
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Lightning Capital of the West and Lightning-Ignited Forest Fires
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127
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7. Snake River Plain and Great Basin
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135
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Sloshers and Northern Invasions
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136
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Winds of the Desert and Wasatch Canyons: Utah
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138
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Great Basin High and Inversions
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142
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State of Extremes: Nevada
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146
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8. Northern Rocky Mountains
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149
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Rime Ice
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151
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Coldest Place in the Lower Forty-Eight: Rogers Pass, Montana
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153
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Precipitation Extremes: Montana
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154
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The Teton-Yellowstone Tornado
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157
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9. Central Rocky Mountains
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161
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Champagne Powder and World-Record Snow Intensity: Colorado
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167
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Not Quite the Icebox of the Nation: Fraser, Colorado
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167
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Lake Effect Snow: The Great Salt Lake
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169
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10. Colorado Plateau and Southern Rocky Mountains
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175
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Where Has All the Snow Gone? San Francisco Peaks, Arizona
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176
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New Mexico Snow: Sandia Crest
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178
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In a Flash! The Canyonlands
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182
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The Albuquerque Box Effect
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185
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11. Southern Great Plains and Adjacent Foothills
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189
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Thunderstorm Alley of the West
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191
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Colorado Low
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195
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Black Blizzards
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200
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Blue Northers: Texas Panhandle
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203
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The Marfa Dryline: Western Texas
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206
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Heat Bursts: Oklahoma
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209
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Tornado Alley
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211
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12. Rocky Mountain Front and Adjacent Foothills
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219
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The Denver Cyclone
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220
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Deadly Downbursts: Denver, Colorado
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223
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Snow Eater: Boulder, Colorado
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226
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Front Range Flash Floods
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231
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Temperature Roller Coaster: Montana
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237
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Back Door Cold Fronts
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239
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13. Northern Great Plains
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243
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Deep Freezer
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244
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Temperature Flip-Flops: South Dakota
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245
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Rapid City One-Hundred-Year Flood
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248
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Hail Alley
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252
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Blizzards
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258
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References
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262
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Glossary
|
266
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Index
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272
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